Is taking children to church a form of child abuse?

[Monster Energy]

Serious question.

Kids don’t choose it. They don’t understand it. They can’t question it. But they’re still brought into a belief system before they even have the ability to think for themselves.

If this was any other kind of belief, people would probably have a problem with it. But when it’s religion, it gets called tradition or how you raise your kids.

So where’s the line?

Is it guidance

or shaping someone’s worldview before they’ve had a real choice?

Not saying religion is right or wrong.

Just asking

If a kid can’t say no is it really a choice?

 

[Fruehlingserwachen]

Deepends on how healthy the social structur of the church is, not on what they believe there.

[Willy Phallicus]

Is giving them a name and telling them they are a boy or girl child abuse?

[Monster Energy]

4 minutes ago, Fruehlingserwachen said:

Deepends on how healthy the social structur of the church is, not on what they believe there.

Beliefs can be harmful. We are talking about blind faith.

 

[Monster Energy]

4 minutes ago, Willy Phallicus said:

Is giving them a name and telling them they are a boy or girl child abuse?

That comparison doesn’t really hold up.

Giving a child a name or identifying them as a boy or girl is about basic social functioning and communication. It doesn’t require the child to adopt a complex belief system or accept claims about reality.

 

[Willy Phallicus]

4 minutes ago, Monster Energy said:

That comparison doesn’t really hold up.

According to you anyway.

4 minutes ago, Monster Energy said:

Giving a child a name or identifying them as a boy or girl is about basic social functioning and communication. It doesn’t require the child to adopt a complex belief system or accept claims about reality.

Children are born into the world completely helpless and ignorant.  If your premise is they have a bunch of stuff placed upon them before they know any better than telling them from birth that they are a boy named John is more than an apt comparison.  They dont have their own sense of identity yet before you gave them one.

Whataboutism aside, the first response to your inquiry pretty much answered your question.  Its not the church or religion that's bad (although it certainly can be), its what is actually being imparted through that structure.

[Monster Energy]

1 hour ago, Willy Phallicus said:

According to you anyway.

Children are born into the world completely helpless and ignorant.  If your premise is they have a bunch of stuff placed upon them before they know any better than telling them from birth that they are a boy named John is more than an apt comparison.  They dont have their own sense of identity yet before you gave them one.

Whataboutism aside, the first response to your inquiry pretty much answered your question.  Its not the church or religion that's bad (although it certainly can be), its what is actually being imparted through that structure.

Yeah, kids are shaped from the start. That’s unavoidable. Giving them a name or basic identity is part of helping them function in the world.

But beliefs aren’t the same thing.

A name doesn’t tell a child what is true about reality, life, or existence. It doesn’t ask for belief. It’s just practical.

There’s a difference between helping a child exist in the world and shaping how they interpret reality before they can think critically.

And that’s worth questioning.

 

[Willy Phallicus]

You asked if taking a child to church is abuse.

The answer is no.  Unless you want to make the case that telling the kid that santa claus and the tooth fairy are real when theyre too young to know better is demonstrably evil.

You could make the case if the church and its following was abusing the child in some way or intentionally programming them with some kind of hurtful or warped ideology.  At the holy communion age (roughly 7 years old) in the christian church though for example they preach the basics - the golden rule, god loves you and an example of one human being whom may be worth emulating.